JAPAN COUNTERED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24758, 4 December 1943, Page 7

JAPAN COUNTERED

NEW ORDER IN ASIA ASPECT OF CONFERENCE LONDON, Dee. '_» The significance of the North African conference is reflected in the generous space in print and pictures which is devoted to it in all national newspapers. Two lines of thought predominate. One is that the United Nations plan for the future of Eastern Asia has supplied an effective counter to the muchadvertised Japanese "new order" for this area. The other line of thought is that, with the conference an accomplished fact, military experts .are already discussing ways and means of setting in motion the "series of prolonged operations" which the conference statement said would lie necessary to force Japan to unconditional surrender. Meanwhile, despatches point to the early beginning of what may well be the' bloodiest campaign on this longest of the world's battlefronts in the Pacific. One such despatch from Pacific headquarters says: "Hundreds of islands form concentric rings of defences for the Japanese-occupied Philippines and East Indies. Around the perimeter of these rings is gathering the greatest naval concentration in hjsto'ry —in addition to hundreds of thousands of Allied troops- —all awaiting the order to attack at any moment." 'The confidence of the Allies in their mastery ol the seas is underlined by the fact that Mr. Churchill and his delegation travelled the whole journey to North Africa from England by sea. Typical of the whole magnificent organisation behind the conference was the fact that there was a complete alternative plan, devised by the air chiefs, to take Mr. Churchill on by air at any stage of his journey if necessary.